Go behind the scenes at American Apparel

See our exclusive t-shirt!

Seventeen Magazine and American Apparel teamed up to make an exclusive t-shirt just for you!

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Preliminary Planning...

As soon as I got to the American Apparel warehouse in downtown LA, I met with Mathew who took me straight to the design room to discuss what the perfect t-shirt should look like.

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Getting Down to Business...

We wanted it to be basic, but with a great fit. Something I can never find is a casual t-shirt with a scoop neck, so we decided on a longer body that hits below the hip with a nice scoop that you could wear layered or alone -- for a sexier look.

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Decisions, Decisions...

Next we went to check out the fabrics and colors. The rolls of fabric were everywhere in the warehouse. So many to choose from!

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Choosing the Colors!

It was a tough choice but I finally settled on three colors: a happy pink that felt fun and summery and very Seventeen, a basic white -- which is a total must-have, and my favorite American Apparel t-shirt color, heather grey.

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How It Begins...

Next, Mathew and I headed up to the floor where they make the actual t-shirts. The first thing I saw were giant stacks of pink fabric. We were just in time to see a tee made from start to finish!

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Look at All That Fabric!

First the fabric is laid out over long tables that look like they are miles long. Then they go through a pattern making machine where the are cut out OR...

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Totally Tubular!

They sometimes go through this machine called the tubular machine. This machine makes the tees that have no seams on the side. It was cool to watch it spin around while the fabric flew right by.

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Almost Done...

Lastly a huge machine that looks like a giant stamp cuts the fabric. It stamps down really hard on the fabric to cut the neck and armholes out to make the tee. After that it gets sent upstairs for the sleeves to be sewn on.

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The Finished Product!

My final seal of approval was our fashion interns, who all ran to try them on when we they were sent to our office. They feel and fit great. It's the perfect t-shirt to wear all summer! Check out our fashion interns wearing the three available colors and purchase one for yourself at americanapparel.net

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